Global Voices » Alexander Sodiqovhttp://globalvoicesonline.org
Citizen media stories from around the worldSun, 02 Aug 2015 18:06:15 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Citizen media stories from around the worldGlobal VoicescleanCreative Commons Attribution, see our Attribution Policy for details.Citizen media stories from around the worldGlobal Voices » Alexander Sodiqovhttp://img.globalvoicesonline.org/Logos/GV-Logo-Vertical/gv-logo-below-square-144.gifhttp://globalvoicesonline.org
Man Arrested for ‘Insulting’ Tajik President on Facebookhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/06/04/man-arrested-for-insulting-tajik-president-on-facebook/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/06/04/man-arrested-for-insulting-tajik-president-on-facebook/#commentsWed, 04 Jun 2014 15:07:17 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=473869Security agencies in Tajikistan have detained a Facebook user on charges of “insulting” the country's president. According to a local news agency, the 30-year-old man was arrested [ru] after posting “slanderous” images and texts on the social networking website.

The mayor of Dushanbe, Tajikistan banned rap and rock music from the capital's buses, minibuses (marshrutkas), and taxis, suggesting that the genre was “alien to national and universal human values,” earlier this year. The initiative received the full backing from the country's Minister of Education who stated [ru] that tunes which “do not conform to national culture” should be banned.

Since the late 1990s, rap music has gained popularity among young people in Tajikistan. Some rappers have used the new musical genre to voice political issues. The authorities have responded by imposing limitations on hip-hop and forcing homegrown rappers to censor their lyrics. These restrictions have met with little public resistance, as many people in the country loathe rap.

Tajik rap began among young people influenced by American hip-hop, mainly in the capital, Dushanbe. By the late 2000s, a vibrant rap underground emerged in the country's main urban areas. A number of Tajik rappers held well-attended concerts, recorded albums, and produced music videos. In a country where everyone owns a mobile phone and mobile Internet is affordable, young people shared and listened to homegrown rap on media sharing platforms and social networks.

Three of Tajikistan's most popular rappers (from left to right): Aslisho, Bakha 84, and Master Ismail. Screen capture from YouTube video uploaded on October 21, 2012, by TojTV.

Bitter lyrics

Compared to other musical genres in Tajikistan, rap has gone much further in its honesty and willingness to tackle thorny subjects.

For example, the “founder” of Tajik-language rap, Master Ismail (aka M.One), has many compositions that are heavy in political content. In one of his songs, the rapper who now lives in Russia, sings [ru]:

Политиканы с набитыми животами,

не насытятся они банковскими счетами.

А народ все молчит и терпит, тупо верит,

что когда-нибудь на их улице будет праздник.

Я сын этого города и этой бедной страны,

и кто, если не мы, сможем выйти из тьмы?

Вокруг – стройки, отели, модные магазины,

и в то же время нет воды и света, и все без причины.

Почему народ должен быть рабом в чужой стране,

кто-нибудь в этой стране может ответить мне?

Моя родина тихо плачет и ждет, ждет,

пока ее спасет его народ…

Politicians with full stomachs
Never get fed up with money in their bank accounts.
Meanwhile the people remain silent and believe stubbornly
That one day the holiday will come to their streets.
I am the son of this city and this poor country.
If we can't escape this darkness, who can?
We are surrounded by construction projects, hotels, and fashion boutiques,
While our homes have no water or electricity, for no reason.
Can someone in this country tell me
Why our people have to be slaves in a foreign country? [alluding to Tajik migrant workers in Russia]
My motherland is crying silently and waiting
To be liberated by its people…

Another rapper, hiding his name under the alias ‘Tadzhik iz Novosibirska’ [Tajik from Novosibirsk], asks [ru] in a song:

Your Highness [formal greeting to the President], could you please tell me where our natural gas, water, and electricity is? Where is the economy, strategy, or the oath of office you took? Why does Russia have to feed us? Where are our rights? Where is freedom of speech? People want the truth and justice, but you are intimidating them, and they are afraid of revenge.

Stop torturing people. We want to see change. Far from the Motherland I have remained a patriot of my country. Our people deserve a better life.

Some rap performers also infuriated the authorities during the government-led security operation in Khorog, eastern Tajikistan, in summer 2012. Challenging the official narrative, Russia-based rappers who had come from the area affected by violence blamed [ru] events leading to the security operation on injustice, corruption, and arbitrariness in the country's law-enforcement agencies.

Censoring “unpatriotic” content

Such lyrics have made the authorities increasingly suspicious of homegrown hip-hop, particularly because the bitter tunes contrast sharply with the cheeriness of official propaganda. In a recent interview, Master Ismail claimed [ru] that the authorities warned him repeatedly against “crossing the line” in his rap while he lived in Tajikistan.

Aside from issuing bans on hip hop in public places, government officials have also urged rappers to be more “patriotic”. In November 2012, the head of the country's Union of Composers asserted [ru] that American-style rap music posed a threat to “national identity”. He also urged [ru] performers to create an “authentic” and more “patriotic” hip-hop style, while pledging to keep rap off radio and television.

It is not clear whether the authorities would be able to enforce the ban on rap music. While they can put a stop to hip-hop on state-owned buses, they will most likely be unable to monitor music in private taxis and minibuses. However, the informal nationwide restrictions on rap music still seem to be effective in silencing bitter lyrics. Most rappers in Tajikistan choose [ru] to steer clear of political content, self-censoring their lyrics and avoiding the remotest allusions to sensitive issues. In return, the authorities allow them to earn money by holding concerts. Those few rappers who refused to censor their lyrics have mostly left the country.

Although there is no formal music agency in Tajikistan, the authorities have other mechanisms for silencing critical tunes. Singers deemed too controversial are not allowed on state television or radio. Nor do private FM radio stations play their music, for fear of repercussions. Such performers are also denied permits to hold concerts, while underground shows are extremely rare in the country. The authorities have also reportedly begun [ru] to monitor the performances of Tajik singers abroad in an effort to ensure “patriotic” content.

The censorship of rap music appears to be part of a broader pattern in the country. As one observers suggests, “Tajik authorities are trying to stamp out any form of freethinking under the vague pretext of patriotism”.

‘Barking like a dog, behaving like a monkey’

The restrictions on rap seem to enjoy broad popular support. Online reactions to a recent interview [tj] with a popular Tajik rapper Shon MC published on Radio Ozodi's website suggests that hip-hop hits a raw nerve with many people. The interview includes a recent music video [tj] by the rapper.

Young fans greeting Shon MC at a concert in Dushanbe. Screen capture from YouTube video uploaded on November 21, 2013, by ‘Made in Tajikistan.

Many social media users found the rapper's performance too hard to square with their opinion of what music should be like:

If this is what this generation is like, a eulogy for our mother tongue should be read one day… They are killing the language and culture with their rap…

‘True patriot’

At the same time, many young Tajiks enjoy rap music and take pride in the success of local rappers. Hundreds of fans leave positive comments under music videos by Tajik rappers on YouTube. These fans also disagree with the designations of rap as “unpatriotic” or “alien”. On the video [tj] of Shon MC mentioned above, young fans can be seen waving a Tajik flag at his concert.

Fans waving a flag at Shon MC's concert. Screen capture from YouTube video uploaded on November 21, 2013, by ‘Made in Tajikistan.

Master Ismail, many of whose compositions the authorities would find especially “unpatriotic”, has recently recorded a song titled “Vatani Man” [My Motherland] [tj]. The song speaks about the importance of national unity, patriotism, and the need to love and respect one's home country, even when living abroad. Ironically, these values are no different from those espoused by the authorities in Tajikistan. Commenting on the video, ‘Tojiki Daidu’ wrote [tj]:

You are a true patriot, brother! It is evident that you love your Motherland more than any government [official]. All that you say is true. I wish you success, brother!

This story was commissioned by Freemuse, the leading defender of musicians worldwide, and Global Voices for Artsfreedom.org. The article may be republished by non-commercial media crediting the author, Freemuse and Global Voices and linking to the origin.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/06/04/as-tajik-rap-gets-political-authorities-resort-to-bans-and-pressure/feed/3Kyrgyz Parliament Considers Anti-Gay Lawhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/kyrgyz-parliament-considers-anti-gay-law/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/kyrgyz-parliament-considers-anti-gay-law/#commentsWed, 30 Apr 2014 20:28:50 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=468809The parliament of Kyrgyzstan is considering a bill that criminalizes any activity seen as promoting “a positive attitude toward non-traditional sexual relations”. Very similar to Russia's anti-gay propaganda law, the bill is expected to become law soon. Meanwhile, a Kyrgyz blogger argues [ru] that the bill which is targeting the members of the LGBT community will also impact a much broader segment of the country's population – the younger, heterosexual Kyrgyz who do not always share their parents and grandparents’ views on sexuality.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/kyrgyz-parliament-considers-anti-gay-law/feed/0Bektau-Ata, Kazakhstan's “Kingdom of Unearthly Beauty”http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/bektau-ata-kazakhstans-kingdom-of-unearthly-beauty/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/bektau-ata-kazakhstans-kingdom-of-unearthly-beauty/#commentsWed, 30 Apr 2014 19:58:47 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=468807A group of Kazakhstani bloggers recently returned from a trip to Bektau-Ata mountain tract which has been described as “a kingdom of unearthly beauty, full of grandeur and freedom”. One of the bloggers has posted a video depicting the breathtaking scenery of Bektau-Ata:

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/bektau-ata-kazakhstans-kingdom-of-unearthly-beauty/feed/1Army Drafters “Do Not Give a Damn About the President” in Tajikistanhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/army-drafters-do-not-give-a-damn-about-the-president-in-tajikistan/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/army-drafters-do-not-give-a-damn-about-the-president-in-tajikistan/#commentsWed, 30 Apr 2014 19:39:43 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=468805In mid-February 2014, the president of Tajikistan ordered [ru] that recruitment offices stop using “illegal practices” in drafting young men into the army. Blogger Rustam Gulov who has written much about illegal drafting techniques in Tajikistan suggests [ru] that the president's order has not really changed anything:

A lot of time has passed since the president issued the order, and we now have enough information to state confidently that army recruitment offices DO NOT GIVE A DAMN about the president and his orders… Recruitment offices have continued using [forceful drafting practices]… Moreover, violations by these offices have become more widespread.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/30/army-drafters-do-not-give-a-damn-about-the-president-in-tajikistan/feed/0Tajikistan Celebrates the Beginning of Springhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/21/tajikistan-celebrates-the-beginning-of-spring/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/21/tajikistan-celebrates-the-beginning-of-spring/#commentsFri, 21 Mar 2014 12:09:58 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=463035On March 20-21, people in Tajikistan celebrate Navruz (Nowruz), an ancient festival that marks the beginning of spring and is often referred to as the “Persian New Year”.

Here comes Navruz, the best and most cheerful holiday! This holiday is not like other celebrations. [Navruz] means a lot to our country and our people. Navruz is like a bridge that links contemporary Tajikistan with our ancestors and their culture…

Happy Navruz to everyone!

News website ozodagon.tj presents several videos showing how the festival is celebrated in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/21/tajikistan-celebrates-the-beginning-of-spring/feed/2Letters From Tajikistan: We Are Different, But We Have Much In Commonhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/15/letters-from-tajikistan-we-are-different-but-we-have-much-in-common/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/15/letters-from-tajikistan-we-are-different-but-we-have-much-in-common/#commentsSat, 15 Mar 2014 15:23:19 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=462310A unique book has been published in Tajikistan. Loki explains [ru] how the book, Letters from Tajikistan, differs from everything else that has been produced in the country:

The book is a collection of letters written by people who either live in Tajikistan or have visited the country. The authors of these letters come from various social and professional backgrounds as well as from different generational groups. The book reproduces original letters, leaving the authors’ writing styles unchanged and unedited.

Most of the letters in the book are in Russian, but there are also letters in English and French. The letters are also posted on a Facebook page.

The book is a final stage of the project that two Tajikistani artists, Anton Rodin and Sergey Chutkov, presented at the 2013 Venice Biennale, a biannual contemporary art exhibition held in Venice, Italy. In an interview conducted during the exhibition, the artists told [ru] that their aim was to identify issues which are relevant to all people in Tajik society irrespective of their various religious, cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/15/letters-from-tajikistan-we-are-different-but-we-have-much-in-common/feed/0Voices Against Women's Day Remain Rare in Tajikistanhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/08/voices-against-womens-day-remain-rare-in-tajikistan/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/08/voices-against-womens-day-remain-rare-in-tajikistan/#commentsSat, 08 Mar 2014 05:51:45 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=461297As Tajikistan celebrates the International Women's Day (re-branded as Mother's Day in the country in 2009), social media help amplify the rare voices that speak against the holiday. Writing on his personal website, prominent religious leader and politician Hoji Akbar Turajonzodaurges [tj] Tajiks not to celebrate on March 8:

Celebrating Mother's Day or Women's Day is inadmissible. This is not our religious or national holiday. We inherited this holiday from the Soviet period.

Similar messages have appeared on social media sites, particularly on Odnoklassniki and Facebook. For example, Said Boboev argues [tj] in TAJIKISTAN Online, a Facebook group that has over 13,000 members, that marking the Mother's Day is against the Islamic tradition.

Such claims remain unpopular in Tajikistan where 90 percent of men and 87 percent of women celebrate the holiday on March 8, according to a recent survey [ru]. Following a Soviet tradition, the country's leader has congratulated [tj] the women of Tajikistan in a televised address. Reacting to Turajonzoda's comments about the holiday, one Tajik netizen tweeted [ru]:

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/08/voices-against-womens-day-remain-rare-in-tajikistan/feed/1Young Activists Battle Bad Parking Habits in Kazakhstanhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/07/young-activists-battle-bad-parking-habits-in-kazakhstan/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/07/young-activists-battle-bad-parking-habits-in-kazakhstan/#commentsFri, 07 Mar 2014 18:17:01 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=461293A group of young activists in Pavlodar, a city in northeastern Kazakhstan, have founded a movement aimed at teaching manners to drivers. The young people confront motorists who park on sidewalks or in other improper places and ask them to move the vehicles to designated parking spots. The movement coordinates its activities and recruits activists via social media.

When we just began to carry out our raids, motorists often threatened us and told that we were not police, using very offensive language. This is the only problem we have encountered so far. We are seeking support from the authorities because we help them enforce the law and ensure public order…

Michelle Obama Embraces Oinikhol Bobonazarova. State Department photo, part of public domain.

Oinikhol Bobonazarova, a prominent Tajik human rights activist, has won the International Women of Courage Award. She was named a “Woman of Courage” and felicitated by United States First Lady Michelle Obama in Washington, DC, on March 4.

In the video above, Michelle Obama congratulates Bobonazarova [from 0:18], while a Deputy Secretary of State lists her achievements:

Since the Tajik civil war ended in 1997, Oinikhol Bobonazarova has worked tirelessly to draw attention to women’s rights, torture in detention centers, and the plight of Tajik migrant laborers. In September 2013, Ms. Bobonazarova became the first ever female candidate for President of Tajikistan when the only Islamic political party in Central Asia nominated her as its standard bearer. Despite an unsuccessful bid, her nomination shattered one of the highest of glass ceilings and set an important precedent for women in politics. In the time since, she has continued to speak out against torture and has been instrumental in working to establish the first independent prison monitoring program since prisons were closed to outside access in 2004. For fearlessly advocating the rights of women and labor migrants and fighting to end torture in Tajik detention centers, we name Oinikhol Bobonazarova a Woman of Courage.

The immediate online reaction to Bobonazarova's award was one of celebration.

Known mostly for her human rights activism, Bobonazarova entered the political scene in September 2013 when a coalition of opposition parties nominated her as their candidate for president. The nomination was met with both praise and criticism among social media users in Tajikistan. Despite the support from the country's two main opposition parties, Bobonazarova failed to collect enough signatures to enter the presidential race officially. She put the blame on the government, announcing that the “whole state machine” had been mobilized to prevent her from running against the country's veteran president Emomali Rahmon.

The US Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award was established in 2007. The award “honors women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk”. Bobonazarova is the first Tajik woman to receive the award.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/05/tajik-human-rights-activist-named-a-woman-of-courage/feed/0Tajik Court Fines Journalist for Calling Docile Intellectuals ‘Shit’http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/25/tajik-court-fines-journalist-for-calling-docile-intellectuals-shit/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/25/tajik-court-fines-journalist-for-calling-docile-intellectuals-shit/#commentsTue, 25 Feb 2014 19:18:35 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=459542A court in Tajikistan has found a local journalist guilty of “insulting” three state-appointed intellectuals and ordered that she pay them 30,000 somoni (over 6,000 US dollars) in “moral damage”. The court has also ruled that Asia-Plus, one of the country's few independent newspapers, must apologize for publishing the “insulting” content.

Olga Tutubalina. Image from her Facebook page, used with permission.

Olga Tutubalina, an editor and columnist of Asia-Plus, wrote a column [ru] in May 2013, criticizing the members of the intelligentsia for their “cozy relationship” with the government of President Emomali Rahmon. In that column, Tutubalina quoted the first Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin who had once referred to intellectuals in the service of the state as “shit”.

A number of state-appointed members of the intelligentsia and creative unions then chose to feel insulted. Shortly after Tutubalina wrote her column, three individuals, the Academy of Science, and unions of writers, artists, composers, and architects filed a joint lawsuit against the journalist. On February 25, after almost a year-long trial, a court in Dushanbe ruled in their favor.

The initial reaction to the verdict among Twitter users was one of shock, disbelief, and anger.

It is clear that Olga [Tutubalina] is being drowned. But there is one advantage: we now know for sure who shit is [in the country]. The court has confirmed it.

Overall, there is little doubt among social media users in Tajikistan that the journalists's trial was part of a broader campaign to silence critical journalists and independent media. Few netizens believe that the court's verdict was fair or impartial. After all, judges in Tajikistan are frequently compared to prostitutes catering to those in power.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/25/tajik-court-fines-journalist-for-calling-docile-intellectuals-shit/feed/1“They Fell Our Souls and Memory”: Felling of Trees Draws Anger in Tajikistanhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/20/they-fell-our-souls-and-memory-felling-of-trees-draws-anger-in-tajikistan/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/20/they-fell-our-souls-and-memory-felling-of-trees-draws-anger-in-tajikistan/#commentsThu, 20 Feb 2014 00:01:23 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=448008Whenever the authorities in Dushanbe launch a new redevelopment project or simply repair a road, they start by felling trees. Over the last decade, Tajikistan's capital has lost thousands of trees, mainly decades-old sycamores. The big trees once lined Dushanbe's major walkways and roads, providing much-needed shade in the city where summer temperatures often reach 40 degrees Celsius. In an apparent attempt to give the capital a more “modern” look, municipal authorities are replacing the felled sycamores with ornamental trees and small conifers.

The felling of trees has accelerated since mid-2013 as the authorities launched a major redevelopment effort in central Dushanbe. This has angered many social media users who feel that decades-old trees are an important part of the city's outlook and its ecosystem.

Sobir Kurbanov, one of the individuals affected by the development, wrote [ru] on the Facebook page “Ya Dushanbinec” [I am a Dushanbe Resident] on December 15:

Road workers have fully destroyed the once shady and beautiful Chekhov Street [in central Dushanbe], which was once lined by high sycamore trees. They used the special equipment [to fell the trees]. They didn't pity a single tree; they cut each and every tree with a silent consent of people living in the capital. There was not a single attempt to resist that. When they finish their job [on the Chekhov Street], they will certainly start felling trees in the park surrounding the [Opera and Ballet Theater] and will cut all the trees along streets adjacent to the theater. Their last move will be to fell all trees along the Rudaki avenue. This will turn our city into a desert with new and broad roads. God save you from the city mayor's office deciding to repair a road on your street, although this will affect all of us sooner or later.

Chekhov Street in Dushanbe after all the sycamores that lined it were cut. Image by Shah Mardon, used with permission.

…about a month ago representatives from the [Dushanbe mayor's office] came to our neighborhood (Tursunzade Street, across the First Maternity Hospital) to tell us that they were going to redevelop our yard and build a new athletic field and a playground there. we were happy. but the happiness was gone soon. it turned out that in order to build all those facilities, they had to fell all our trees, the sycamores that were between 25 and 35 years old. we tried to prevent them from doing so. we went to talk to the mayor's office [and other officials]. then, they came to talk to us, argued with us, tried to prove their point… they all said one thing, “This is part of the General City [Reconstruction] Plan. Nothing can be changed”…

we decided to protect the trees in our yard. but last Saturday, in addition to all the officials and workers rebuilding our yard, they sent a group of police officers (10 to 12 persons) to prevent us from interfering with the felling of trees…

Sycamores cut on Tursunzade Street in Dushanbe. Image by Parvina Ibodova, used with permission.

Image by Parvina Ibodova, used with permission.

Contributing to the discussion on Facebook, Said Negmatulloyev suggested [ru] a way to stop the felling of trees:

If you plant one sapling tree, the number of trees in the world will increase by one.
If you put in jail one lumberjack cutting trees illegally, the number of trees will increase by one hundred.
And if you put in jail one official who allows others to cut trees illegally, the number of trees will increase by thousands.
Plant [put in jail] the right way!

This is not just a transformation of a single street. Look at the landscape of Dushanbe and the way it has changed over the last decade. The city has been deprived of its pride, thousands of sycamore trees that used to provide the residents of Dushanbe with fresh air and summer shade.

What do we have left? We have an ugly city that is no different from other cities of the former Soviet Union. Yes, there are many new and pompous buildings, multi-storey houses [built] by the Chinese – but these do not adorn the city. The old buildings that made Dushanbe such a cozy place are also being demolished. On top of this, they have renamed all the streets…

They do not just fell the sycamores. They do not just alter the city's landscape. They deprive Dushanbe of its soul. They want to change us, turn us into a different kind of people, with a different set of ideas and values. They are molding us, as if we were clay, into a new people of a new Tajikistan. And they root out mercilessly all that is left from the Tajikistan we used to know and love.

By felling sycamore trees, they fell our souls and memory. They fell the good old Tajikistan.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/20/they-fell-our-souls-and-memory-felling-of-trees-draws-anger-in-tajikistan/feed/4Soviet-era Monuments and Slogans in Tajik Capital “Should Stay”http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/19/soviet-era-monuments-and-slogans-in-tajik-capital-should-stay/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/19/soviet-era-monuments-and-slogans-in-tajik-capital-should-stay/#commentsWed, 19 Feb 2014 21:45:24 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=458458Over the last two decades, the authorities in Dushanbe have dismantled most of the Soviet-era monuments and huge political slogans on rooftops which had all been an important feature of the cityscape before 1991. However, as Radio Ozodi reports [tj], Tajikistan's capital has preserved a handful of Soviet statues, slogans, and signs [see all photos].

Blogger writing on Russian Chronicles of Tajikistan suggests [ru] that these “remnants” of the Soviet period should stay:

I believe that all these symbols, monuments, bas-reliefs, and signs should be preserved. More than that, we need to take a good care of them and ensure their proper maintenance. It is not about some kind of nostalgia or love for the Soviet past. No. It is more about the fact that all these “remnants” of the Soviet epoch could become important tourist attractions.

The blogger also proposes to keep signs with the Soviet-era street names in the capital and place the monuments that have been dismantled in museums.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/19/soviet-era-monuments-and-slogans-in-tajik-capital-should-stay/feed/0Kazakhstan Gets Its First Medal in Sochihttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/14/kazakhstan-gets-its-first-medal-in-sochi/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/14/kazakhstan-gets-its-first-medal-in-sochi/#commentsFri, 14 Feb 2014 21:05:47 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=457271Kazakhstan got its first-ever Olympic medal in figure skating, with Denis Ten taking the bronze in Sochi today. Ten finished third in men's figure skating, behind Patrick Chan of Canada and Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. With this bronze, Kazakhstan has become the first Central Asian nation to win a medal at the Sochi Olympics so far.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/14/kazakhstan-gets-its-first-medal-in-sochi/feed/1Tajik Team at Olympics Opening Ceremony Included a Russian “Tourist”http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/11/tajik-team-at-olympics-opening-ceremony-included-a-russian-tourist/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/11/tajik-team-at-olympics-opening-ceremony-included-a-russian-tourist/#commentsTue, 11 Feb 2014 19:13:23 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=456538Following the Olympics opening ceremony, many people in Tajikistan were shocked to find out [ru] that one of the individuals who walked into the ceremony in Sochi alongside Tajik athletes under their nation's flag had little to do with the country. Vladimir Vladimirov, a Russian entrepreneur and member of a municipal assembly, wore the Tajik team's outfit and waved the country's flag as he walked into the stadium where the event was held with an athlete and several officials from Tajikistan.

Pardon my French, but this is a total f**k-up!!! Letting some foreigner walk with our country's athletes behind our flag is much worse than all that crap that everyone ridicules us for. Only a very miserable country could stoop so low. We always feel insulted when they laugh at us, and when Russian media portray us as uneducated savages. But perhaps we deserve such treatment? Which other country showcases foreign tourists instead of its own athletes at the Olympic Games? Which mother-f**ker gave a Tajikistan team's outfit to this Russian? And why the f**k did this all happen under the president's nose as he waved his hand at our athletes with a happy smile?..